A military judge granted small concessions to both prosecutors and defense lawyers as he ruled Monday on pretrial motions in the desertion case of a U.S. Marine who vanished from his unit in Iraq a decade ago and wound up in Lebanon.

Tip of the WeekAmericans rarely take the time to unplug during the work day. In fact, we spend just short of half the day in front of some type of screen, according to research by the Kaiser Family Foundation.

About $355 million distributed last week to investors cheated in Bernard Madoff's Ponzi scheme means over half of allowable claims have been paid in full, the trustee recovering money for investors announced Monday.

President Barack Obama and German Chancellor Angela Merkel declared Monday that Russian aggression in Ukraine has only reinforced the unity of the U.S. and Europe, as they weighed the prospects of reviving an elusive peace plan to end the conflict.